Aircheck: WSUN and WIOD (Miami), 8/24/1992

Our once every two weeks look back at local and regional state history takes us back to August 24, 1992. As some of you might remember, it was not a normal day, as Hurricane Andrew (a Cat 5 hurricane that everyone thought was a Cat 4 at the time) scored a direct hit on most of Miami and Dade County that Monday morning.

I was working a 6am-noon shift at WEND and the Sun Radio Network that morning. The one thing I’ll never forget was reading the AP headlines off of the computer, amazed at the statewide weather reports. I was seeing reports of wind gusts out of Coral Gables at an amazing 162 miles per hour early in my shift.

(Outside of a small thunderstorm after I got home around 1pm that day, we didn’t get anything here from Andrew in Tampa Bay, as it was a rather small hurricane.)

I’m pretty sure Neil wasn’t on his usual schedule that day with all the news coverage WIOD (and thus WSUN here in Tampa Bay) had. I don’t think he took to the air until after noon that day, and as you’ll hear that day, he’s still on past his usual 2pm sign-off. His usual entertainment type show isn’t there this day, replaced with calls for help in the area and a more serious demeanor. Quite understandable under the circumstances.

With the 24th anniversary of Andrew passing, and threat of a tropical system in the present day that’s yet to have been realized (and I hope stays that way), that all made me think of this.